VA - Living on the Hill: A Danish Underground Trip 1967-1974 [3CD Box Set] (2020)

UK three CD set celebrating the so-called "underground" rock music scene that emerged from Denmark at the tail end of the 1960s. It was an era that saw huge changes, both musical and social and was a pivotal period for creativity in rock music throughout Europe. The influence of ground-breaking artists from Britain and the USA such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Jefferson Airplane et al spread far and wide. In Denmark, as in many other European countries, the cries of change were made by students, radicals and hippies to a backdrop of emerging "underground" bands who were fusing the musical influences of psychedelia, jazz, blues, folk. From this upheaval came a succession of highly imaginative Danish groups who recorded a wonderful series of highly imaginative and creative albums. From the psychedelic jamming of Alrune Rod and Young Flowers to the harder edged music of The Old Man & The Sea, Hurdy Gurdy and Delta Blues Band to the progressive and jazz influenced bands such as Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Blast Furnace, Culpeper's Orchard, Midnight Sun, Pan, Secret Oyster and Thor's Hammer, the diversity and range of the bands heralding from a small country was impressive in it's excellence. Some acts such as The Savage Rose, Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Ache, Midnight Sun, Secret Oyster, Culpeper's Orchard and Day Of Phoenix enjoyed some degree of success outside their native land whilst others remained destined to have a Scandinavian following. The common thread among all of these artists was an emphasis on experimentation and a desire to push the perceived musical boundaries.